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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Pizza Adventures & a Bit of Mise en Place

One of our fabulous friends (and fellow Wellesley alum!), Dominique G., had given us a pizza stone as a wedding present along with glass prep bowls. I had added this to our registry becuase I wanted to recreate the family Friday night pizza nights I had grown up with in Ohio. We waited until we moved back to Harlem and got to use our Viking oven to finally give it a try. If you don't know what a pizza stone is check this out:

Now while we usually abide by our America's Test Kictchen Family Cookbook, we took a look at the picture of the pizza they showed and decided it didn't look appetizing to us:

Anyway, Uka did a little bit of research and came across a recipe for slow fermentation pizza dough. It sounded a bit labor intensive because it requires waiting overnight, but we decided to give it a try because the reviews and pictures looked SO yummy. Here's a picture of our first try:

Here's a later attempt where we added crumbled sausage:

When it gets warmer I can't wait to add in-season veggies and herbs! We might even add pineapple. I also want to experiment with some of the fun cheeses at Zabar's. So far we really like Sargento's provolone and mozerella blend; we found if we just used plain, pre-shredded mozzarella that it's too rubbery.

What's so great about making the pizza is that it's something we really make into a team effort. From making the dough, selecting the toppings, stretching the dough, to getting everything in and out the lowest rack of the 500 degree oven without burning ourselves, we're both together in the kitchen, and it's a lot of fun! I do have to say at the beginning we had a few disagreements on technique, but we compromise and let each other make the dough however we want (although I have to admit it's me, Q, who has to bite my tongue the most due to my type A personality!).

Notes: Definitely use the olive oil; while the dough yields 6 pizza crusts, we found that instead we prefer to form 3 pizza crusts instead for 8-slice pizzas; we can't find bread flour in Harlem so we use all-purpose and it tastes fine, but someday we want to try bread flour (my dad recommends this too)

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Now regarding sauce: I grew up on canned sauce, but with all the added sodium I now prefer to make my own and it's SO easy. Plus you can add your own seasoning to taste.Quick Tomato Sauce (from America's Test Kitchen)Notes: We don't add salt because there's enough salt from the meat and cheese, but instead we add about 1 tablespoon of sugar1 can (14 1/2 oz) crushed tomatoes1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press1 tablespoon saltHeat garlic and oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until garlic is sizzling, about 40 seconds. Stir in tomatoes; bring to simmer and cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens enough to coat wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. Season to taste.